Recommend me some GBA games

[wormguy]

Yggdra Union

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Fire Emblem are two more good strategy games.

[Maco70]

My brother told me to get FF tactics advance. Is it more final fantasy, or more shining force? Because I friggin hated shining force.

[Bahamut]

It's like a lesser version of FFT, although it does get tedious at times - I say it's not worth it.

[The Coop]

Thanks but... there is no way I can afford all this. O_o

So, out of:

The sonic advanced three, which is best?

Out of the Castlevania, which is best.

And how super is gunstar super heros?

Sonic Advance 2 is likely the best of the group, Aria of Sorrow would likely be the best in that group (buy the double pack with "Aria" and "Harmony" on one cart), and while Gunstar Super Heroes plays a bit differently than its prequel, it's still quite the game. And a good number of the ones I listed are either at, or below, ten dollars now. Picking up a nice selection of them shouldn't be too hard, especially if you get them used.

[AarowSwift]

Well, without knowing what sorts of games you're into, all I can do list what I own. I certainly recommend all of them.

Scurge: Hive - This is as close as you can get to a Metroid game (specifically Fusion) without it actually being Metroid. However, instead of a sidescroller it's a top down 3/4th view. Lot's of frantic action; a meaty game that's solidly designed.

Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 - This is a very simple and quite fun RPG. It's pretty light-hearted and has some goofy dialog, but it's quite fun. The combat is real time rather than menu based. I don't recommend the first Summon Night though, just the sequel, mainly because the second game drastically improves everything in the first one.

Drill Dozer - This is a puzzle platformer. It's unique and hard to compare to other games, but if you've ever played and enjoyed any of the Klonoa games, you'd probably like Drill Dozer.

*Metroid Zero Mission and *Metroid Fusion - These are definitive Metroid games and more or less on par with Super Metroid. If you've never played a Metroid game, it's a sidescroller with platforming, shooting action, and lots of exploration. These are some of the best games on the GBA.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and *Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow - These are the first and 3rd Castlevanias to be released on the GBA (I honestly didn't care for the second one). These both follow in the footsteps of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Circle of the Moon to a lesser extent). They play a lot like Metroid, though combat is based more on melee weapons than projectiles.

*Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - This is a Mario RPG, so it's a lot more action oriented than tradition RPGs are. It's simple and lot of fun. Another top tier GBA game.

Mario VS Donkey Kong - This is more of a puzzle game than an action game. It's a pinch of classic Mario and a dash of Lemmings.

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land - It's a Kirby game, so it consists of simple platforming. It's pretty easy but quite fun and a great game to just pick up and blow a little time on without needing to get really involved.

Legend of Zelda: The Minnish Cap - This is a pretty good Zelda game. If you've never played Zelda, this series pretty much defined the fantasy Action Adventure genre.

Edit: I put stars next to my top most recommendations. Of course, if money is tight you hardly need to buy everything at once.

[Maco70]

Thanks Coop.

I am definetly going to get:

Metroid Zero Mission

Super Mario Advance 4

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow/Harmony of dissonance

Worms World Party

Sonic Advance 2

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. =D

[Red Shadow]

Hm, just to stir up CONTROVERSY, I have to add that I hated the Golden Sun games, especially the second. The second one was a massive snooze fest, and I eventually got so sick of it that I just quit halfway through the game.

Tell me it was the world travel that you got sick of and not the story.

Because the story is pretty engaging and what inspired me to finish them.

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

Just so I'm not mistaken for a troll, I'm going to explain why I didn't like Golden Sun that much, since I'm never too busy to point out why this game isn't so great.

The story wasn't that great. Frankly, I remember almost the entire game being a series of sidequests that coincidentally gave you abilities you needed to deal with the lighthouses. Only when one reached the lighthouses did the main story advance. Now, a lot of games are full of a lot of sidequests, and it's perfectly acceptable if done properly. While these games set the bar pretty high for RPGs, Chrono Trigger and FF6 have great sidequests, and the reason why many of them are excellent is because they do some character development. Golden Sun has very little character development and there's almost nothing engaging about the characters. In fact, I don't think anyone could discern who's speaking in the dialogue except for Garet once in a while, since all he does is ask Isaac to affirm something. Speaking of dialogue--there's way too much. Considering there's not all that much going on in the story, it's pretty amazing how dialogues often become 15 minute sequences. What gives?

There are a few extremely annoying flaws with the gameplay. First of all, I found it annoying that if Characters A and B are set to attack Enemy 1, and A kills Enemy 1, B will simply defend. I don't think they've done that since the old FF games. Next up, random battles. This might just be a personal nitpick, but I hate random battles except in games with a fun battle system, like FF6 and 7. Golden Sun's battle system is like a weaker version of FF6's espers. I expected interesting things with Djinn, but there wasn't all that much to note in these battles. You just attack, use djinn magic, or summon. Not much going there. Better games with this type of battle system have thrown in more strategic elements to keep battles refreshing.

GS does have its positive points though. The art, excepting the overworld, is gorgeous. The sound, albeit repetitive in some areas, was pretty ok too. A few tracks were especially good, like the Sol Sanctum theme. Unfortunately, these quirks weren't enough to pull the entire game up.

If I could pick one thing to make the game better, it would absolutely have to be character development. In some games, there's not all that much going on, but the characters keep things interesting. Golden Sun's characters are too static for the story to matter. It really drags things down.

On the plus side, it could've been worse. I'm looking at you, Star Ocean 1.

[wormguy]

Thanks Coop.

I am definetly going to get:

Metroid Zero Mission

Super Mario Advance 4

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow/Harmony of dissonance

Worms World Party

Sonic Advance 2

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. =D

I would definitely skip World Party. The computer version is far better. The GBA version is just too skimpy.

[Maco70]

I would definitely skip World Party. The computer version is far better. The GBA version is just too skimpy.

Normally I'd agree, but I got the game boy color version of Worms Armageddon and I thought it was fun to play, even if it wasn't up to par with the real version. Just looking for a fun pickup game for time to time play.

[Dhsu]

I think I'm gonna suggest the same thing I did in the PS2 thread...look it up on Gamerankings.com. Just for convenience, here's the top 30:

1. Super Mario World

2. Super Mario Bros. 3

3. Advance Wars

4. Mario Kart Super Circuit

5. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

6. Metroid Fusion

7. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

8. Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

9. Final Fantasy VI Advance

10. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

11. Metroid: Zero Mission

12. Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

13. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

14. Golden Sun

15. WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGame$

16. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

17. WarioWare: Twisted!

18. Fire Emblem

19. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

20. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

21. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

22. Golden Sun: The Lost Age

23. Astro Boy: Omega Factor

24. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

25. Wario Land 4

26. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

27. Sonic Advance 2

28. Mario Golf: Advance Tour

29. Rayman Advance

30. Pokemon Sapphire Version

It's a pretty decent list, actually. I especially recommend Astro Boy in particular.

[Maco70]

I think I'm gonna suggest the same thing I did in the PS2 thread...look it up on Gamerankings.com. As of right now, the games with the top 10 average ratings are:

Super Mario World

Super Mario Bros. 3

Advance Wars

Mario Kart Super Circuit

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Metroid Fusion

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Final Fantasy VI Advance

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

It's a pretty decent list, actually.

It does look good, I am hesitant about Super Mario world though. How does the button mapping work? I prefered SMB3 to SMW anyway.

[atmuh]

hey coop suggested sigma star saga

i forgot about that one is is NICE and DIFFERENT!

also shut up baha FFTA freakin owned

[wormguy]

Sigma Star Saga = the shit

[Gollgagh]

Yeah, FFTA is one of the few GBA games that I actually own.

[MaxFrost]

Sigma Star Saga = the shit

I agree...it's cool because it's totally different, but honestly, the gameplay sucks.

[Fire in the Hole]

*Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - This is a Mario RPG, so it's a lot more action oriented than tradition RPGs are. It's simple and lot of fun. Another top tier GBA game.

Concur

also Baha your controversy is made of fail. Although FFTA really isn't worth more than $10.

[AarowSwift]

Just so I'm not mistaken for a troll, I'm going to explain why I didn't like Golden Sun that much, since I'm never too busy to point out why this game isn't so great.

The story wasn't that great. Frankly, I remember almost the entire game being a series of sidequests that coincidentally gave you abilities you needed to deal with the lighthouses. Only when one reached the lighthouses did the main story advance. Now, a lot of games are full of a lot of sidequests, and it's perfectly acceptable if done properly. While these games set the bar pretty high for RPGs, Chrono Trigger and FF6 have great sidequests, and the reason why many of them are excellent is because they do some character development. Golden Sun has very little character development and there's almost nothing engaging about the characters. In fact, I don't think anyone could discern who's speaking in the dialogue except for Garet once in a while, since all he does is ask Isaac to affirm something. Speaking of dialogue--there's way too much. Considering there's not all that much going on in the story, it's pretty amazing how dialogues often become 15 minute sequences. What gives?

There are a few extremely annoying flaws with the gameplay. First of all, I found it annoying that if Characters A and B are set to attack Enemy 1, and A kills Enemy 1, B will simply defend. I don't think they've done that since the old FF games. Next up, random battles. This might just be a personal nitpick, but I hate random battles except in games with a fun battle system, like FF6 and 7. Golden Sun's battle system is like a weaker version of FF6's espers. I expected interesting things with Djinn, but there wasn't all that much to note in these battles. You just attack, use djinn magic, or summon. Not much going there. Better games with this type of battle system have thrown in more strategic elements to keep battles refreshing.

GS does have its positive points though. The art, excepting the overworld, is gorgeous. The sound, albeit repetitive in some areas, was pretty ok too. A few tracks were especially good, like the Sol Sanctum theme. Unfortunately, these quirks weren't enough to pull the entire game up.

If I could pick one thing to make the game better, it would absolutely have to be character development. In some games, there's not all that much going on, but the characters keep things interesting. Golden Sun's characters are too static for the story to matter. It really drags things down.

On the plus side, it could've been worse. I'm looking at you, Star Ocean 1.

I have to agree with everything said here. The Golden Sun RPGs aren't bad games, but they aren't spectacular either. I put them a bit above average. They tend to drag, especially when there's dialog. The games are also pretty tedious to play through since there's little of interest going on.

[Arek the Absolute]

hey coop suggested sigma star saga

i forgot about that one is is NICE and DIFFERENT!

also shut up baha FFTA freakin owned

wow, first time i have to disagree with you

it fails horribly compared to fft

it fails even if you didnt compare it to anything

i now question your taste in games

[Katsurugi]

No love for Riveria? I liked it a lot. Definitely worth a playthrough or two. My friend likes Tales of Phantasia, but it's really not my cup of tea. The fighting system is semi-manual or semi-automatic however you like to think it. I think that's the Tales series in general. But definitely try out Riveria and Harvest Moon. =)

[The Mutericator]

Evidently no one else noticed that he was asking for games that were easy to pick up and play for short periods...

Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland is probably the epitome of pick-up-and-play. Short levels, pretty easy to beat, but with some well-hidden secrets and lots of rewards for those secrets (half-life mode, where you only have three hits, and Meta Knightmare, where you play as Metaknight, with three health, on a time trial through the WHOLE GAME).

Any of the Super Mario Advance series are worth it, especially Yoshi's Island - moderately difficult to beat, but with lots of secrets if you can get high scores consistantly.

Metroid: Zero Mission is good. It takes everything that sucked about the first one (no map, no direction, no... anything) and fixes it. It even takes Fusion's tendency to tell you what to do next and incorporates it in, too.

Metroid Fusion is one of the more controversial Metroids. I have to give it credit for getting me into the franchise, to be honest (Metroid is now my favorite game series, period), but it deviates from all other Metroids in that it outright tells you what you need to do (roughly). For instance, at one point you have to go find this creature that's destroyed a huge section of one of the habitation areas, and the computer (which you report to, and which gives you your instructions) tells you to go to a certain room that biosigns are coming from - however, the creature has destroyed various doors and areas that were perfectly fine last time you went through, so you have to figure out where to go on your own, Metroid-style. In other words, there are still Metroid exploration bits, just in smaller, more manageable bits.

The Megaman Zero games, while they require a little time investment and are exceptionally difficult, are worth looking at as well.

Unfortunately, the rest of my collection are RPG's (both Golden Suns, which ARE awesome, FF1&2, IV, and V (no VI yet...), Breath of Fire II), so I can't really help you out much more.

No love for Riveria? I liked it a lot. Definitely worth a playthrough or two. My friend likes Tales of Phantasia, but it's really not my cup of tea. The fighting system is semi-manual or semi-automatic however you like to think it. I think that's the Tales series in general. But definitely try out Riveria and Harvest Moon. =)

Tales of Phantasia for the GBA is a mauled, raped version of its original self. Try the SNES or PSX version instead.

[Woe Is You]

FFTA? I always thought Marche was a girl until I read Wikipedia. Then I was scarred for life.

If your device has a GBC slot, Shantae's pretty nice. It's supposed to be getting a sequel on the GBA too.

[Bahamut]

Tell me it was the world travel that you got sick of and not the story.

Because the story is pretty engaging and what inspired me to finish them.

I got sick of the dungeon design - it was made so long for little reason. I know quite a bunch of others who felt the same way about the games, so I know it's not just me.

[Maco70]

Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland is probably the epitome of pick-up-and-play. Short levels, pretty easy to beat, but with some well-hidden secrets and lots of rewards for those secrets (half-life mode, where you only have three hits, and Meta Knightmare, where you play as Metaknight, with three health, on a time trial through the WHOLE GAME).

Is it as good as Kirby's Dreamland? If so, I am in.

[The Mutericator]

Is it as good as Kirby's Dreamland? If so, I am in.

Ha! It blows Kirby's Dreamland out of the water. Nightmare in Dreamland is actually a remake of the NES game Kirby's Adventure, updated with new graphics and some updates on old powers. Also, stage 7-6 is a highly condensed version of Kirby's Dreamland, including the black-and-white visuals. xD